We Couldn’t Do It Without You: How Your Support Helps

We Couldn’t Do It Without You: How Your Support Helps

Our success as a transitional home is because of the community. We come together to “end Veteran homelessness”. We work together, sharing in the responsibility of supporting our Veterans. Every successful event. Every meal. Every new home. Every new job is possible because of our community support.

We’d like to recognize a few of the ways community volunteers have made a difference this year and thank you for your constant support.

“Victory For Veterans” 5K and Golf Outing

This year, we hosted two events to get the community involved and support our Veterans. Both the 5K in April and Golf Outing in June were organized by volunteers, without whom the events wouldn’t have been possible. Volunteers helped us find sponsors, became sponsors themselves, and promoted the events as advocates. Every little bit helped to pull off these two successful events, which helped get the word out about what we do.

Responding To Our Calls For Help

We commit to the Veterans and VA one meal per day. We promise to connect them to VA and Non-VA services for medical and social support. We ensure them that they will be loved by the community and respected by their peers. Because of you we are able to keep our promises. Because of our community and their donations, our kitchen is open 24×7.

Our Veterans leave The Journey Home into permanent housing with donated used clothes and slightly used household furniture and other housewarming items. Because of you, each Veteran is provided a handmade quilt, made with love and appreciation as they go into their new home.

This list can go on and on. What we do is highly personal, which comes with consistent but sometimes always changing needs. Whenever we call, our volunteers answer. The community donates an incredibly generous amount of groceries and hygiene items on a weekly basis so our Veterans are well-fed while they’re here.

This support is an ongoing and constant need. Feeding and supplying hygiene items for up to 15 men is a necessity. It is not uncommon for our Veterans to gain as much as 50-80 lbs during their 3-6 months with us. Because of this support, we are able to divert other valuable resources to the transitional programs that will help end their homelessness.

The community’s generosity doesn’t stop at food. You help provide our Veterans with clothing, socks, underwear, and household items like beds, linens, and kitchen supplies. Each of our Veterans come off the streets with very little, so community donations go directly to them. Some supporters even look for items at yard sales to purchase for our Veterans!

Building Relationships With Veterans

We know that volunteers getting engaged with our Veterans, building relationships and offering important companionship and mentorship to help them through their “Journey Home”. Everyone depends on a healthy interactions, connections and relationships to sustain healthy living. The homeless Veterans in our transitional facility typically come without those connections and relationships. The ability to engage in healthy interactions is historically limited, and they fear social interactions. Connecting our Veterans to the community is one of the most important responsibilities of The Journey Home, and we need your help.

Get Involved: Support The Journey Home

The Journey Home is always looking for individuals, families, and organizations to come into the home, play games, cook food, and a meal and socially interact with our Veterans. These volunteers play an important role in successfully transitioning and keeping homeless Veterans off the streets.

Stay tuned, and look for another email soon about how you can volunteer and support our mission to “end Veteran homelessness.” We are working on opportunities where we can engage to engage this mission. Until then, continue to donate food, clothing and household items. Come to the home and make a friend; we have heroes that live here. Volunteer to drive our Veterans to medical and other VA appointments.